Holy Crap, I own a Roth car...sort of

Well, its as close to a Roth car as I'll ever own! HAMBer Leon mentions in a post that he may sell a car Ed painted, so I spring into action. If you know me, you know I dont ofter spring into anything, but this needed to be jumped at. Contacted Leon, we worked out a deal, found out we were both going to Bonneville and agreed to meet there for the pick up. Clark and I were going to drive his 32 the 2200 miles, but this was worth a slight change in plans. The car is the Berry Wagon. Wild Bill Shrewsberry built two Berry Wagons, one was the wheelstander he ran, this one was the display that stayed at Knotts. No 1400HP 426 hemi like in the other car, in fact no anything, just a tube frame with a body and wheels but Roth DID paint it and signed it on the back! When I got home my buddy John had already found the Jan. 1979 issue of Popular Hot Rodding with the car on the cover. Right now the plans for the car are to clean up the paint as best as we can. It is real chalky and I cant do much over some of the pinstriping. It would just wipe off so I'll get Clark to clear over everything once cleaned up. We'll probably get the truck up to the museum at Latimore if they can get it in so everyone can see it. I've always been a collector and have some stuff that Ed had drawn for people but this is really special for me. I know I'll be kinda nutty sitting in the garage staring at it thinking about Roth lettering and striping it! Anybody with more info, I'd love to hear it. Thanks for making the deal Leon. Bonneville AND this, life is good.

 

Very cool piece of Roths work. The forgotton years, when he was a signpainter at Knotts Berry Farm.

 

It was good meeting you and Clark out there.
Congradulations on the find, its a neat car!

-Jeff

 

That is just too cool.

I remember reading that issue way back when, I did get to see the wheelstander in action once.

I recall seeing the car you bought at Knott's Berry Farm also.

Great to see some things just don't go to the shredder.

Wonder where the wheelstander is? Anyone ?

 

A buddy of mine says Shrewsberry gets in our area once or twice a month for some business stuff and knows him. I'll be tracking him down to find out whatever I can. I hope he has some photos I can get copies of. There was also a sheet metal grill insert that I had Tex Smith and Bob Pierson sign on the back, gotta get Shrewsberry on it too.

 

I read about the Knotts gig for Roth in the book about him, the big coffee table one with RF on the cover. It's an amusement park right? I wonder about the nature of a job painting signs at an amusement park. If you go there now, are there a bunch of Roth-painted signs everywhere? I suppose they've been replaced by now. Anyway, great piece of history.

 

congratulations, real cool to save it

 

Congrats Larry. It was goo meeting you and Clark on the Salt.

 

what a douchebag!


put a mill in it and cruise it!

 

Larry, Nice addition to the East Coast! Is that a real Model A panel delivery body? Back section looks like the roof was lowered and reshaped. Glad you plan to save the Roth work.

 

Larry....if you let Timko anywhere NEAR that vehicle, I'll never paint again....

 

Congrats bud! Glad you got it home safe and sound. Been wondering what it looked like since you mentioned it a couple of weeks ago. It's really cool. I can't wait to se it in person next year at the Jalopy Showdown.

 

Yeah, its an amusement park. It was originally built around the concept of naturally 'the familys berry farm'. There was an area built around the roaring 20's. Another about the old west. All the signs used to be hand painted. Ed did have a lot of work around the park. All have been replaced, more than likely painted over. The park never really understood Ed, or realized what an icon he was. He was just the weird guy who used to stripe cars behind the sign shop during lunch.

 

Wow. That looks pretty decent in the photos.
So are ya sitting in the garage today with 10 cinderblocks under the front end pretending yours is the wheelstand car????
You're Moriarty Jr.
Congrats & welcome back.

 

Lucky bastard.

Welcome back.

 

Cool find,
You got it a little far forward on the trailer though.

 

Congrats!

 

Dude that would look so cool in your living room!!!
Make it do wheelies!!!! I'll come and film it....


Hey I need the name of the guy that gave the tour at the Museum...I put
together the showdown piece and I want to give him credit...


Looks like you and Clark had a blast I wish I could of been there with my fellow Douche Bags...


evel

 

Very neat.

 

37kid, the article says its a Wescott fiberglass 29 truck body with aluminum mid-section by Unique Metal Products of Santee, CA. The back is the 29 cab back. Evel, check your PM's, flt-blk, there was just an axle on the front. Thats Leons spare. I never thought I would be saying this, but I'm now looking for a set of skinny Cragar Super Trick wheels for the front. Clark thought it was funny that I would have to look for those...D.B.!

 

Larry, Have a camera crew with you when you take that over to Lynn Paxton and tell him you want it AACA Certified for class 24A.

 

That's too cool for skool my friend. Congrats.
I own one of his old shift knobs. But I'll probably never own anything nearly as cool as that one.
You done good.

 

that's great! i remember that issue, alice cooper's 57 chevy convertible, with a tunnel ram, right? super tricks oughta be a treat to find, but i'm sure there's a super gas vega out there somewhere, just waiting to donate to the cause.

 

Holy Crap!I look forward to seeing it.

 

I think I remember seeing the magazine now. Not as exciting as all the guys that saw the real car.
Clark

 

.............like YOU'D ever come out here and paint on it??? (besides........we can't get Rob outta' the back of the "Shaggin' Waggon")
Get back to work on that damn book!!!

 

I'm Glad everything worked out and you and Clark got back to Penn. without any major issues.

It was great meeting you, Clark and all the other HAMBers.

The 2 cars which I was crewing on did not break any records but them again we did not break any parts either.

 

I've got some others, but they wont load cause the files are too large. Sorry